Centering on arts and wellness

WESTBOROUGH - Since it began offering classes a year ago, the Center for Arts and Wellness has seen 150 students participate in its numerous classes and activities.

Vandana Rao, who co-founded the center with fellow teacher Hema Iyengar, said the Turnpike Road-based business focuses on instruction in both the arts and wellness spheres.

"We offer classes in music and dance - violin is starting off this month, and on the dance side we have things like Bollywood dance," she said. "On the fine arts side, we have art and painting classes, henna tattoo classes and we've dabbled in other kinds of creative education."

The center's wellness offerings also cover a wide array of topics.

"We offer classes in yoga and meditation," Rao said. "We also offer Reiki, and have someone certified in Ayurvedic techniques."

Several of the topics taught at the center are related to India, as both Rao and Iyengar are from the country. Rao said, though, the center is by no means just focused on Indian-related art forms; it's meant to cover all cultural backgrounds.

Rao said both of the center's founders live in MetroWest, and had been teaching various classes when they started the business. As parents, they realized that many families participate in a variety of activities and classes - and have to travel far to do so.

"Our vision was to offer our own classes as well as a host of other classes," she said. "A parent with a child in a dance class, rather than waiting for an hour, could take their own class at the center."

Rao and Iyengar approached the business almost like a community center, hoping to engage people of different ages with lessons, classes, events and concerts.

The center opened in October 2016, and first began offering classes in January 2017.

"We've grown nicely - and organically - over the course of the year," Rao said. "We have some families with multiple members taking classes - that's really what makes it for us."

Rao said that initial reception has been positive, though the center is trying to get the word out even more.

In terms of future plans, the center hopes to offer additional mainstream dance classes - covering subjects such as jazz, hip-hop and ballet.

"There's a huge demand for that it the area," Rao said. "We'd also like to offer more on the music side - we started violin this month, and would like to expand to instruments like drums and other wind instruments - we only teach the flute now."